


A Shocking Incident

by StarshipHufflebadger



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies), Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-29
Updated: 2018-01-29
Packaged: 2019-03-11 00:24:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13512894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarshipHufflebadger/pseuds/StarshipHufflebadger
Summary: Carol gets herself injured when she helps out in engineering and Leonard hurries to help her.





	A Shocking Incident

Carol Marcus swore softly to herself as she fiddled with the delicate internal parts of a hand phaser. The damn thing kept malfunctioning and she was determined to figure out what was wrong with it, despite the Captain’s indifference. He had told her several times that they could just get a few new ones on their next supply run, but Carol wanted to know what was happening. The hand weapons didn’t often malfunction and she was curious as to what was actually causing the issue. The problem was, the internal workings of the phaser were so very tiny and delicate that it was incredibly difficult to locate everything she needed to check without taking the entire thing apart – a task that generally took longer than it was worth – but which she was seriously starting to consider doing.

Her comm buzzed a moment later and she sighed, setting the phaser back down on her desk and reaching for the comm instead. As she opened it, Scotty’s voice came out immediately, and he sounded rather frantic.

“Lieutenant Marcus, are you busy righ’ now? I could really use a hand down here.”

“Of course, Mr. Scott, I’d be happy to help,” Carol replied, smiling. There wasn’t a lot for her to do on board in regards to her own specialization of weapons technology, so she was always happy to help out in engineering, where her skills were often useful.

“Excellent. Report to the aft torpedo launcher. I’ve just received an auto-report that something down there isn’t running correctly but I’ve got my hands full near the warp core.” Scotty’s voice sounded harassed and distracted, and Carol got to her feet immediately.

“Right away, Mr. Scott. I’ll let you know if it’s something urgent once I’m down there.”

“Sounds good, Lassie. I’ll meet ya down there soon, as long as I can get this damn thing working.”

Carol snapped her communicator shut, picked up her small messenger style bag of tools that she always brought with her when she was working on any of the ship’s systems and slung it over her shoulder before heading out into the corridor from her small lab. It was a short walk to the lift and she hummed to herself as she went, mentally running through all the systems that the aft torpedo launcher ran on as she descended to the M deck where the launchers were located.

Carol frowned as she approached the launcher in question and saw several warning lights flashing, text scrolling on the control screen. She hurried to the console and began to type, quickly learning that there was some kind of issue with the wiring in the guidance system. It needed to be fixed right away, or the ship would have no way of aiming one of its torpedos, which could have disastrous consequences.

“Mr. Scott,” Carol said, flipping open her comm, after Scotty had answered her call. “There’s an issue with the wiring in the guidance system, shall I investigate further?” She heard him swear and then sigh, and she could just see the look of exasperation on his face.

“Third damn time this month that thing’s gone off,” he grumbled. “Aye, check it out. I’ll be down there in just a mo’, I’m just wrapping up here.” 

Carol stashed her comm and began to type away again, running security protocols and entering passwords so that she could have access to the insides of the launcher. After a few minutes she’d gotten access and heard a metallic clicking as the panel nearby automatically unlocked itself, popping open slightly so she could get in.

Carol pulled the panel door the rest of the way open and peered inside. At first glance everything seemed to be alright, but she suspected that there were some wires loose along the side of one of the internal panels. Carefully, she began to slip her hand along the side of the panel she was interested in. It was hard to see, as it was a bit farther back inside the unit, but she could picture perfectly in her mind where everything was located. 

Her arm had disappeared to the elbow inside the unit now, as she felt along the side for the part that she needed to remove and run diagnostics on, according to the console control display. However, as her palm brushed some wires that were supposed to be perfectly aligned and functional, she received a strong jolt of electricity to her palm. Her muscles immediately seized up and she made a strangled noise as the current began to flow through her body. She was frozen in place, her hand continually touching the live wire because of the way her muscles had seized- the angle of her arm when the muscles stiffened was holding her upright, the limb wedged into the unit.

Agony coursed through her for what felt like an excruciatingly long time, though in reality, it was only seconds. Suddenly, she could hear shouting, and a second later, the unit had completely powered down. Immediately her muscles relaxed and she let out a whimper as she tried to suck in a breath, feeling winded. Her muscles had relaxed so much, however, that she could no longer stay standing. She tried to cling to the outside of the unit but she was unable to control her limbs and she let out a strangled cry as she fell back, her arm snagging and cutting on the outer panel of the unit before she toppled to the ground. There was a loud metallic clang that echoed around the area as her head cracked into a railing behind her, and she crumpled to the catwalk, unconscious, a trickle of blood creeping down her neck from under her blonde hair.

———

When Carol woke a few minutes later, everything was a confusing blur. It took her a few long moments before she remembered where she was, as she slowly began to regain the feeling of the cold metal slats of the catwalk digging into her side and the arm she was lying on. She could hear, but the sounds were oddly distorted and there was a ringing in her ears that was hard to ignore. She wasn’t sure how long she lay there before she finally started to shift a little, groaning softly as the pain came back to her.

“What happened?” Leonard’s words floated over to her, warm and familiar, comforting even through the badly suppressed hint of panic in his voice. She could hear clanging and feel the vibrations of footsteps approaching her and wondered, groggily, who it was. She tried to will herself to open her eyes, but she was feeling sluggish and slow, her body resisting her urges.

“I got here just as I saw her stiffen. Realized it must be a live wire so I shut down the power, but she fell and hit her head on the railing, there.” An accented voice swam in her ears now, another familiar sound. Who was that, again? Oh, right, Mr. Scott, head of Engineering. Carol groaned a little again as her muscles ached fiercely, the back of her head throbbing where she’d hit it.

“Hold still, darlin’,” Leonard’s voice said soothingly, now startlingly nearby. “Can you open your eyes and look at me?” She felt his hand, warm on the cool skin of her upper arm, and slowly opened her eyes through sheer willpower. She blinked sluggishly as she stared up at him, trying to bring him into clearer focus.

“Leonard,” she breathed, her voice weak and somewhat hoarse.

“Hi darlin’,” he said softly, giving her a small smile before reaching for her wrist. He easily lifted one of her limp hands and pressed two fingers to her pulse point. She could feel the faint thumping of her pulse against his fingertips, and even she could tell that it felt off. Leonard looked unhappy - but unsurprised - by what he felt. Still, he left his fingers there for a few moments longer while she struggled to continue looking at him, her eyes stinging at the bright lights creating a halo around his head, making his features hard to distinguish. Carol shifted her hand so her fingers could gently brush against his wrist, finding comfort in his warm touch, even though he was mostly in doctor mode. He finally let go of her wrist a few seconds later and shifted his weight, kneeling down beside her.

“Can you feel your fingers?” he asked, gently squeezing the tips. She breathed a ‘yes’ at him, and he moved to her feet, pinching her toes through her shoes. She nodded this time, though she stopped quickly; it was making her head hurt more. “Try not to move your head or neck,” he said quickly, reaching out and bracing her head, his hand resting gently on her hair. “Let me scan you first, I want to make sure there’s no skull fracture.” 

She lay still as he moved his tricorder around her head and neck, trying not to whimper at the continued agony in her muscles. She felt like she’d had a body-wide Charlie horse, and her limbs were not happy. It didn’t take him long to scan her, and she could tell without him saying a word that he was relieved.

“Well, you got lucky,” he said, taking her hand and examining the electrical burn in the middle of her palm. “No cranial fractures, no brain bleed… just a cut under the hairline, and not even a deep one at that.” She gave a weak half-smile and attempted to nod, cringed at the pain and stopped immediately, letting out a shaky sigh. “Easy, darlin’,” he said, squeezing her shoulder gently for reassurance. “I’m going to lift you up onto a stretcher now, okay?”

“I- I can try to stand…” Carol said, pushing her hands against the catwalk and trying to lift herself into a sitting position, but her arms were trembling violently under the weight and Leonard leaned forward, stabilizing her as she gave a little hiss of pain, both from the muscle ache and the burn on her palm.

“Carol, your muscles are weak and tense from the electricity. You’re going to be in a hell of a lot of pain if you try to walk. Please just let me take care of you for once, instead of being stubborn?” His tone was somewhat frustrated, but she could hear the note of pleading in it and she sighed, then smiled a little at him.

“I suppose the doctor knows best,” she conceded, tipping her head slightly in a deferral to his judgement. His smirk was one of triumph and he gave her cheek a gentle stroke before wrapping his arm behind her shoulders, slipping the other under her knees.

“Are you ready?” he asked, holding her tight to his front, crouched in position. She gulped and held tight to him with her uninjured arm, holding onto his shoulder. He took that as agreement and pushed himself to his feet, lifting her with him. She let out a soft cry of pain as her muscles protested fiercely to the sudden change, and he apologized quickly as he turned with her in his arms. Waiting behind him were two nurses and a hovering biobed, which she hadn’t been able to see from her perspective behind Leonard. He set her down on the bed and one of the nurses positioned the pillow under her, so that her head was well supported as she tried to let her body relax. As she winced, trying to adjust herself so that she was somewhat comfortable, Scotty appeared in her line of vision, looking worried and relieved at the same time.

“Y’alright, Lassie?” Scotty asked, stepping up to her bedside. “I should’ve known there was something more going on with that system. I’m sorry ye got injured,” he said, frowning at the system and then back at her, and she could see the concern in his eyes.

“I’ll be fine, Mr. Scott,” Carol said, her voice quiet and tired, but otherwise fairly normal. “I’m in good hands.”

Leonard smirked slightly at this comment as he pulled the rails up on either side of the biobed to prevent her rolling off in the event of any turbulence, then clapped Scotty on the shoulder.

“She’ll be fine, Scotty, not to worry. A couple of rounds with the dermal regenerator and a few days rest and she’ll be right as rain.” Scotty smiled and nodded, and Carol gave a little wave as the nurses began to direct the bed away from the area, back towards the turbolift. 

They were in medbay within minutes and she was put into a curtained room, both of the nurses dispersing at Leonard’s request. He paused before he got started on the medical things, reaching out and stroking her hair as she looked up at him, a small smile on her face despite her current discomfort.

“How’re you doin’?” he asked quietly, his fingers rhythmically and gently stroking her blonde strands. 

“I’ve been better,” Carol said, scrunching up her face a little as she shifted and her muscles screamed in protest again. “But all in all, it could have been much worse.” Bones made a snorting noise of displeased agreement, but offset the unpleasant sound by leaning down and kissing her forehead gently. Her eyes closed and she let out a soft sigh at the tenderness, feeling comforted by his touch.

“Here, I’ll give you something for the pain and the muscle tension,” he said, turning his back on her and prepping a hypospray. She winced slightly as he injected the medicine into her neck a moment later, but sighed in relief as, within a few seconds, the tension had started to ease. Within a minute or two most of her pain had ebbed, and her limbs were feeling heavy as her muscles relaxed. She let out another sigh and turned her head to look at him, miraculously not feeling much pain as she moved.

“Thanks,” she said, her words a little thick from the meds. “That’s much better.” He smiled as he got his supplies together and came back to the side of the bed with them.

“Anytime,” he told her, pulling on a pair of gloves and taking her injured hand, carefully cleaning the burn on her palm. She winced slightly at the sting of the saline-wet gauze, but the pain disappeared nearly as fast as it had come. Carol faded into a twilight-like state, staring unseeingly at the ceiling as her body relaxed further, making her feel extremely sleepy and weighed down.

Before she knew it, he had cleaned both the burn on her palm and the cut on the back of her forearm she’d sustained as she’d fallen, dragging her skin along the metal of the electrical unit. She heard the vague humming sound of the dermal regenerator and told herself to stay still, though there was not much need; she was feeling so relaxed now that she wasn’t sure she could move, at least not without a very good reason.

“I’m gonna sit you up now, so I can clean the cut on the back of your head, okay?” His voice seemed far away, and it took her a moment to realize he was speaking directly to her and might require a response.

“Mhm,” she said slowly, not opening her eyes. She thought she heard him chuckle, but wasn’t quite sure if she’d imagined it. She was fairly sure she was slipping between the real world and dream land, but it was hard to distinguish between the two. She let out a soft gasp of surprise as the bio bed began to shift, raising her top half so that she was in a reclined sitting position. 

Leonard reached out and gently pulled her into a more natural sitting position, with her back mostly straight, supporting her with an arm.

“Can you put your head down?” he asked, keeping her steady as she swayed a bit. “Chin to your chest.” She eventually did as he’d asked, once the request had penetrated her foggy mind properly. She could feel the cool dampness of the gauze on the back of her head but it didn’t hurt, and she was feeling groggier than ever as she leaned sideways against his chest, unaware that she was making it more difficult for him to do his job, though he didn’t complain.

“All done,” he said after a moment, gently guiding her back down onto the bed, where she sank her head gratefully onto her soft pillow, feeling heavy and sleepy once more. “Now, your heart rate is fast and weak because of the electricity, so though you’re fine and don’t have an irregular rhythm, I’m going to keep you here at least twenty-four hours, just as a precaution.”

“Okay,” she agreed, her voice soft and barely audible as her eyes drifted shut. “As long as I can sleep most of that time.” She let out a soft sigh and lay still for a moment, before she suddenly remembered something and her eyes opened, faster than they had since before he’d injected her with the meds. “Is my kit still down by the torpedo launcher?” she asked, her voice a bit more clear. She’d been building that kit with very specific tools for a long time; the thought that it might just be lying on the floor in Engineering was causing her a bit of anxiety.

“Your kit’s right here, don’t worry,” Leonard said, lifting the strap and showing it to her. “Scotty gave it to me as we were leaving, said you’d miss it.”

“Ah,” Carol said, visibly relaxing with a relieved sigh. “Mr. Scott knows me well, it seems.”

“Indeed,” Leonard agreed, putting her kit back down on the floor. “Now, you need to rest. Just let me take care of you.” She smiled drowsily, her eyes closing again, but she didn’t speak. Leonard reached out and stroked her hair again, smoothing it back off her forehead, watching her face as she slipped into a deep, restful sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment! <3


End file.
